Plitvace Lakes - Croatia

An absolute must on anyone’s bucket list. It is a wonderland of cascade upon cascade of Tufa waterfalls, while the color of the water in the 16 lakes changes from a deep blue to unbelievable turquoise as the sun moves through the sky. All this amid a green background of undergrowth, pine and cedar trees.

The view from the entrance to the park

Our tips:
• Go early, before the hordes of tour buses arrive. (Many daily tours are operated from towns such as Split – so they only arrive later in the morning, but when they arrive it gets really crowded) Having the walkways almost to yourselves early, also allows you better photo opportunities. But, even with the hordes of tourists, the lakes are still a sight to behold.

One of the lakes

• Wear comfortable shoes. You are going to do a lot of walking – if you are going to walk as much of the route as possible. While the pathways and surfaces are good enough for comfortable sandals, walking shoes are advisable. Especially if you are going to climb up the stairway at the left of Veliki Slap to get to the lookout point. Photographs from this vantage point are most often used in travel brochures of the lakes.

Walkway over waterfalls

• Take your own snacks and drinks. Food and drinks inside the Park are expensive and only available at certain spots. If you carry your own eats & drinks along you can stop anywhere for a bite. If you get thirsty you can REALLY drink the water directly from the lakes or streams – this water is pristine and unpolluted – we drank from it, without so much as even a slight stomach cramp later.

Crystal clear water

• You cannot get lost if you stay on the marked roads, so don’t fret. The whole idea at this park is for a circular route to be followed. A small map is also printed on the ticket. Just know at which entrance you parked, and follow the signs demarcating junctions on the walkways. The entrance ticket includes a ride on a boat across the big lake and a ‘train’-ride – more like a bus consisting of a number of separate carriages.

Expect beauty like this

• Consider that the weather may change – have an umbrella and something warm with you as well, although we were very fortunate, with beautiful weather.

One of the bigger waterfalls

• Stay at a guest house outside the park, as opposed to one of the hotels inside. The price is extremely more favorable and you get to meet the locals.

There is more than waterfalls - look out for flowers and animals

• Allow for at least one full day’s exploring of the park – We booked our accommodation for 2 nights, so that we could leave early for the park after our first evening, and return to rest our tired legs after the day’s excursions on the second night, without having to drive to our next stop.

The view from the lookout point

We stayed at a very lovely, family run, guesthouse – “Guest House Bruna” – in Dreznik Grad, just outside the park, about 10 to 15 minutes’ drive to the entrance of Plitvace Lakes National Park . This little town of Dreznik Grad was serene, with its own little castle (although almost flattened through different wars) along the Korana River.

The view from our balcony in Drezni Grad

The host was very welcoming, ready with some home made schnapps and entertaining us with his interesting conversation: This is a way of hospitality we would came to know throughout the rest of our travels through Croatia – the hosts always welcome you with some schnapps, sometimes even a light meal, and have a welcoming conversation with you. A very refreshing concept in today’s modern rush, where people do not really get to know each other.

The Castle in Drezni Grad